Listen To Your Heart
by Bullet Nick
Summary: Sonic is living as always, but something inside his heart is bothering, and he decides to listen to his heart, and he discovers the truth about his feelings and his thoughts. And he realizes just in time to help Amy from a terrifing experience.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Sonic, neither the games, characters, or any of that, all those belong to Sega. I only thing I own is the idea for this story.

**Listen to Your Heart**

**Okay everybody, this story was written for a contest silverdawn2010 posted on July 2010, in which you had to write a romantic story picking one of the couples in the Sonic Universe. I still can't believe I wrote this much in a span of seven days, it's my personal record.**

**By the way, a little warning to all my readers: It'll be a good while until you get to the romantic parts. But I had to set up the background for the story, as well as exploring the feelings of the characters. So you'll have to be patient. But I'm afraid that until you reach the romantic parts, you'll have to go through sadness and despair.**

**And if any of the characters seems out of character, or a plot point doesn't fit with the canon of the games, or even if a bit of the philosophy doesn't fit the characters, let me know so I can fix it. Don't hesitate, I'll be glad to improve this story.**

**Many thanks to silverdawn2010 for motivating me to write this story, she really is an awesome writer. If you're interested in romantic stories between different Sonic characters of excellent quality, she's the best writer I've found.**

The valley so full of flowers was so calm, so serene. Nothing was stirring, and all the multicolored flowers could breathe the quiet air above them. The sun was shining, not a single ray disturbed by a cloud. The perfect scenery to just lie down and just breathe in the air, and relax. Until a blue blur passed by, moving all the air around it and turning it into strong winds.

Sonic. The blue hedgehog was once again, racing through all the mountains, valley and hills of Mobius. Running as always, the hedgehog just ran by the carpet of living colors, and passed by without so much as glancing what he left behind. It's what he always did, for as long as he could remember, running.

Since Sonic had beaten Eggman three days ago, he decided to check how Tails was doing. The evil doctor managed to pull off an impressive attack, and though he was defeated as always, he found a way to damage the X-Tornado. So Tails would obviously be in his workshop, fixing it and tinkering around with it.

Within a few minutes, after running through several landscapes, he arrived at the workshop. And just as he expected, he could already hear the sound of Tails working with machines, the faint smell of burnt metal, and the occasional comment Tails made to himself about his machine.

But he was surprised to see Tails come out, sweat dropping from his head, oil stains in his fur, and holding a wrench in his hand. Tails was not one to quit on his work, only when he was exhausted or in the middle of a crisis did he take such a well-deserved break.

"Wow. Tails, you've really got to stop working so much." Sonic said, worried about him. He could see weariness and frustration in his face; he really needed to relax every so often.

"I can't, Sonic. That last attack from Eggman damaged the wing, and I have to readjust a lot of wires and metal to fix it."

"Really, you've got to take a break. Do you even sleep at nights?" Sonic said, half sarcastic, half concerned about his workaholic little brother.

Tails only gave an annoyed frown before answering. "That's very funny, Sonic. But this wing has had my head filled with mechanical procedures yesterday. And I'm fed up with it, so I figured going outside would help me."

"Trust me, little buddy, it helps a lot. Heck, I run around all the time, and I always mange to beat Egg-head every time." Sonic added, while leaning on to one of the walls of the workshop. He was trying to get it inside the little guy's head to stop worrying so much, just like him. Sonic had few worries, and running always seemed to say that he was free of all responsibility and commitment of the world. Sure, he had to save the world, but besides that, he was free of everything else.

"Yeah, well, you're always running, and you don't take breaks either."

"Yeah, but I never get tired of running." Sonic said, as it were the most natural thing in the world, but then he realized that there was something odd about it. He never got tired of running, but Sonic forgot that other people eventually did tire from doing the same thing over and over again.

"Really? You never get tired, ever?" Tails asked in sudden surprise. He had always assumed that after every run, Sonic would stop and catch a few breaths; that he would eventually tire of running.

"Now that I think about it…no, never. I've always been running, for as long as I remember." Sonic said, with genuine surprise. It was not often that he would stop and think about his life. Only now that the fact that he never stopped to enjoy the moment struck him. All of a sudden, he was feeling a bit heavier.

"Really? For as long as you can remember?" Tails was now forgetting about fixing his machines, because rarely did Sonic say anything about his past, most of it was still shrouded in mystery. "Wow, I didn't know you ran for so long. Just tell me one thing. I know I asked you this a lot of times before, Sonic, but…why do you always run?" Tails was now curious; it was a chance to explore Sonic's history. And this time, he was hoping to get a meaningful answer, unlike those other times.

Sonic simply shrugged, smiled subtly, and then looked up to the sky above him. "I like it. It feels as if I'm free from anything. And when I'm not saving the world from Eggman, it's something to do. Keeps me busy, you know?" Sonic then smiled with his trademark smile, indicating his confidence in that answer, hoping to avoid the issue, hoping to not have to go through all the layers of his ego to explain the true reason he ran.

Tails just frowned; this was exactly the type of answer he'd given so many times before, he knew he was dodging the question; he didn't like it when Sonic did this kind of thing. "Sonic, why do you run? I know you like it, but I'm sure that that's not the reason why you do it. You can trust me, and if you want to keep it a secret, just tell me, I'll keep it." Tails pleaded him friend, he felt as though Sonic didn't trust him, and after uncountable adventures, he felt like he had a right to know the reason.

Sonic just hesitated and looked doubtful. He couldn't tell Tails. He barely even managed to tell himself. It was his secret that no one else knew. Sonic couldn't help but feel his heart tingling inside his chest, knowing what was bothering him. If he ran away now, he could just drop the conversation and get rid of the responsibility, but he knew better. He knew that if he didn't tell Tails something, he'd worry a lot and would start asking everyone else, and that was even worse.

"Sonic, why do you always run? Are you running away from something?"

Sonic only had a second to think about those words, and how much truth they hid, before hearing a loud scream.

"Sonic! There you are!"

The blue hedgehog turned immediately, only to see the very familiar sight of a pink hedgehog coming straight at him.

_Here we go again…_

Sonic saw Amy running with all her might straight towards him. He wanted to run away that very moment, but that strange sensation in his heart somehow forced his legs to remain on the spot, something which made Sonic nervous and made him want to run even more.

"Well, one thing is for sure. Right now, I'm running 'cause Amy's coming!"

"Nice seeing you, Sonic, because the next day you're gone!" Tails added humorously.

"Yeah. Live for today, gone tomorrow. That's me." Then he regained control of his legs and quickly ran away from Amy.

"Wait, Sonic, wait for me!" Amy screamed before passing by Tails without so much as looking at the young fox.

Amy kept running, hoping to catch her elusive love. But she knew that she would get tired before he would look back. And so, after a few minutes of pointless chasing, Amy rested and caught her breath. It was moments like this when she reflected on her love for the hero.

_Oh, Sonic, if only you knew…_

_That I love you so much…_

_Well, he knows that already. But if only he understood what that meant, to be in love._

_To follow your heart, even though it hurts to love someone._

_And it sometimes hurts to love you. Because it seems I can never reach you, no matter how hard you try, and you never look behind._

_All I want is to be held in your arms, to hold me close to you, if you just gave me a chance, to let me show you how much I care about you, how much I really love you…_

_God, he's so dreamy…his blue fur, his green eyes, those smooth quills, those strong arms, his playful attitude, his speed…Oh, everything about him is just so perfect…_

After a few more moments of daydreaming, she walked away from her resting spot, and to the shopping mall to find something new for herself, or perhaps to buy herself something to eat. She walked away in silence, as she looked out to the horizon and saw dark clouds, as if attempting to spoil the sky filled with midday sunlight.

_And yet, I forget how easy it could be to lose him forever. He sacrificed himself for all of us. I could've lost him in any battle. Even in the last one. And yet, he was so calm and relaxed about it…_

_Then again, there was something different about him when it finished…_

She remembered what happened very well. Eggman has come up with yet another plan to take over the world, city by city. This time, he had invented a new weapon. It had appeared one evening over Emerald Coast out of nowhere. It seemed like a giant floating machine gun which could fire powerful energy blasts at anything no matter how fast it moved, and could follow any target. Sonic, being himself, naturally took on the challenge to be raced by many of those. The blasts never reached him, of course, and Amy was silently cheering him from inside the X-Tornado, while Tails was trying to disable the gigantic weapon, only to have all his attacks neutralized by the energy blasts.

"Well, he's sure built a good weapon this time. I can't fire anything at it, it just keeps blocking the attacks!" Tails said, more to himself than to the passengers, as if cursing himself.

And Sonic was just having fun teasing the blasts, and frustrating Eggman in the process. Eventually, he got a plan. He raced back to the wing of the X-Tornado and waited for the blasts to come after him.

"Tails, go straight to the weapon!" he commanded from outside.

"Are you crazy? I can't even attack the thing, and you want me to go straight to it?

"Just trust me, okay? Stop attacking and go straight to it."

Tails was skeptical about this, but he knew he could trust Sonic if he came up with a good plan, and he certainly wouldn't be playing now. But he needed to do it now, so he quickly took control of the flight controls and began to avoid everything in its path to reach the gigantic machine.

All Amy could do was watch as Sonic stood outside the wing, saving her, and the city as well, and putting himself in grave danger in the process, but doing it all for the greater good.

_He's so brave, so strong, and even if he's been attacked and in danger, he's always so cute. I wonder if we'll ever beat Eggman. Maybe, just maybe, when we do, Sonic will finally be able to be with me._

_I know that's why he doesn't go out with me. He's got to save the world, and you never know when Eggman will strike. But I love him so much, and if only he could just spend some time with me. I'm sure I could convince him that we should save the world, together._

_Then again, nothing so far has ever made him be with me. What does it take for him to realize just how he means to me?_

Amy realized she'd been staring at Sonic all the time without actually watching him, because the next she knew was that the gigantic weapon was exploding, and Tails was leading the X-Tornado away from it fast, Sonic now leaning against the wall as if beating Eggman was nothing more than a game.

"Well done, Sonic!" Amy cheered Sonic from inside the cabin.

"Well, you know, it was nothing, really. Piece of cake, as always." Sonic commented cockily, proud of himself.

The next moment, there was an explosion.

One of the last remaining energy blasts had managed to hit the wing of X-Tornado in which Sonic was standing, creating an enormous hole in the wing, but it also caused Sonic to lose his balance and fall from the wind to the sea below, with nothing to avoid his fall.

"Hang on!" Tails commanded from the cockpit. If he didn't take control quickly, they would plummet to the sea below. This is why he attacked over sea, Tails thought to himself. As he tried to steer the ship back into a steady flight, his mind already started to formulate a way of rescuing Sonic.

"Tails, Sonic is falling into the water! We need to catch him!"

"I know, Amy! But if I don't steer this thing, we'll fall as well!"

"Hurry up, please!"

As Tails slowly regained control over the ship, Amy watching in horror as her love plummeted into his greatest weakness. She just wanted to jump off the plane, and help him to shore to save him, but she knew that it would be wiser to let Tails do his thing.

But to her horror, Sonic finally met the water almost as Tails was beginning a landing. Even before the plane had rested, she jumped off her seat, and thanking herself that she put on a swimsuit that morning when she thought of going to the beach, she dived straight into the water and began swimming where the splash had been to bring back her hero. Thankfully, he landed near the shore, but it didn't bring much relief to any of the two hedgehogs.

Amy swam and swam to reach her hero, but in Amy's mind, she reached the spot too slowly. Worry began to fill her mind as she approached the spot. By then, a minute had passed since Sonic had plummeted into the water, but Amy felt as it had been way too long as she reached her destination.

Amy took a lungful of air and submerged herself into the cool sea. She quickly found the blue hero, but to her shock, he wasn't moving. He was just sitting there on the ocean floor, and Amy had to resist gasping in surprise to hold her air. She had to make an effort lifting him to the surface, but once she resurfaced and had access to air, the short trip back to shore was much easier. As soon as she reached the beach, Amy laid him down on the sand, but to her horror, Sonic didn't seem to be breathing.

"Sonic. Sonic! Sonic, wake up!" Amy screamed with desperation. Tails lost no time and began his attempts at resuscitating the blue hedgehog.

"Come on, Sonic. You gotta come back. Come on, wake up." Tails said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his fear.

"Come on, Sonic, come back…" Amy said only to herself, as her eyes began to water, and she closed her eyelids in a desperate attempt to reject the reality of the situation.

_Come back, Sonic. Don't leave me all alone. You have to come back, you can't leave, please Sonic…don't leave me…_

_I should've seen the blast. I should've been quicker. I should've swum faster to save him. Wait, I can't blame myself, it's no use now. He'll wake up, I'm sure of it._

_But why isn't he breathing? Don't leave me, Sonic…there is so much I want to live with you that I haven't even imagined yet. Wake up, Sonic. I just want to be by your side and hold you…and have you holding me in your own arms. I don't want to be alone...I love you, Sonic._

Suddenly, she heard the noise of air being gasped quickly. She shot open her eyes to see an awoken Sonic, breathing and taking in as much air as his lungs could take. Feeling immense relief at seeing him breathing once again, she immediately rushed over to him and held him by his shoulders.

"Sonic, you're back! I'm so glad you're okay!" Amy couldn't hold back a single tear escaping her eye and running down her cheek. As soon as his eyes finally opened, she took the opportunity to gaze deeply into them, as if trying to send a message to his soul. However, Sonic could not avoid turning his head to spit some saltwater that had remained in his mouth.

Ignoring her slight feeling of disgust, she turned him to her and tried to calm him. "Take it easy, Sonic. Just breathe." Sonic only looked at her before looking down at his chest. That's when both hedgehogs realized that Amy had inadvertently put his hand in his chest, right over his heart. Sonic looked at it with intrigue, and then back at the pink girl.

_Oh, what am I doing? Amy, you know Sonic doesn't like that sort of thing. Any second now, Sonic is going to just push you away and say that everything's okay. It's what he always does. I just wish I could hold him in my arms…_

But to her surprise, Sonic didn't do that. He didn't take her hand away from his chest. Rather, he just looked at the girl right in the eyes, almost as if something inside him had changed. He looked at her deeply, staring at her eyes, almost as if trying to connect with her. Amy found this both intriguing and exciting at the same time, even though she wasn't sure what to think.

"I'm sure that it was just Sonic's confusion after waking up. I'm sure he has forgotten everything about it already." Amy had said to herself the next three days. After all, Sonic could not have been different. He had faced death several times and the next day he acted as though nothing had happened. Why should last time be any different? For Sonic, it was the same.

And yet, Amy's heart couldn't help but think that something inside him really had changed.

Far away, Sonic was still running. Right now, he couldn't think clearly, he just wanted to run. And so he did. He passed valleys and deserts, and eventually came to a stop when he reached the top of a mountain. Sonic took a moment to sit down and reflected on his situation, a rare thing to happen.

_Why is this happening to me? Why am I feeling this way? It feels so different…and I guess I am acting strange._

_Well, duh. Of course I'm acting strange. I just stopped in the middle of a run for no real reason. And when Amy appeared, I didn't run away right then and there like I usually do. And then there's this strange feeling I have in my heart…_

_What I don't understand is why I have that feeling. I've never really had it before, but this time, I'm actually taking it slow. I mean, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Whenever something new happens, I just take the chance to do it. But this is different. I'm taking it slow._

_It's very strange. And the weirdest thing is that I've had this feeling for months now…_

_I remember when I first noticed months ago. I had just finished beating Egg-head again, and I remember that before leaving, Amy had given this hug…it was a different hug, however. It wasn't crushing or oppressing, it was…nice. Well, not very nice, but it didn't really bother me._

_Anyway, after that, I left to go on a run, as always. And I remember stopping by the beach, and just when I was admiring the view, because I would never go into the water, I kinda had this funny feeling in my chest. It was a very small feeling, but it was there. I thought maybe there was something wrong my heart, but as soon as I run towards Tails' workshop, the feeling went away. And when I stopped halfway, it came back._

_It's weird. When I'm running, it goes away. But when I stop, it comes back. But every since I first felt it, it became stronger and stronger, and a few days ago it was so big, that even running didn't make it go away._

_But then again, do I really want it to go away?_

Sonic surprised himself with that question, because he had never asked himself that. He always thought it would be best to go without it, but little did he realize that it was a gateway to another part of his consciousness, which was sending this message that he felt that way for a reason, that something was missing.

In his confusion, Sonic's instinct would've been to run and forget about what was happening, but he tried that many times already and didn't work. He knew that if he wanted an answer, he'd have to think back and try to figure out what was happening. And so he let his mind wonder about the events of three days ago.

Sonic remembered falling and falling, looking down and seeing the massive sea beneath him. Once he realized that that was his destination, panic flooded his mind. He had nothing, no one to catch him. He was falling into his greatest fear, and nothing stood in its way, and no one was there to help him. He knew of course that someone would come for him, but those few seconds before getting wet were ones of panic and anxiety for the hydrophobic hero.

Sonic hit the water with a loud splash. Sonic hated being submerged in water, but to his great frustration, he couldn't do anything to reach the surface, and his sneakers were not built for moving underwater.

Sonic knew that they would eventually come, so all he could do is hold his breath and wait. And so he waited and waited, but already a minute had passed, and Sonic didn't get a good chance to take a deep breath, and by now he was desperately in need of air and rescue. Soon, he gasped for air that wasn't there, and his mind was beginning to fade due to lack of oxygen. Sonic could not hold much longer. He was drifting to unconsciousness and his eyelids were closing.

He knew he didn't have a lot of time. And just when he was going to pass out, he saw from above a pink hedgehog he knew very well coming to his rescue, struggling to reach him.

_Amy…Amy, please help me…_

Darkness followed that thought and filled Sonic's mind.

"_Sonic. Sonic! Sonic, wake up!" _

"_Come on, Sonic. You gotta come back. Come on, wake up." _

"_Come on, Sonic, come back…"_

_Air!_

Sonic first impulse was to gasp and to fill his lungs with as much air they could handle. As life returned to Sonic, he was relieved to be back, though he still had saltwater in his mouth and his heart was racing too fast for him to organize his thoughts.

"_Sonic, you're back! I'm so glad you're okay!"_

_Amy? Is that her? Did she save me?_

Sonic opened his eyes, only to find in front of him that Amy was holding him. But what surprised him was her tear. When he realized that the thought of losing him caused her to cry, and that she risked herself trying to save him, it really touched him. She saved him, and she was afraid of losing him. And if she had not taken the risk, who knows what could've happened?

Before he could continue his thoughts, he suddenly became very aware of the saltwater that he still had in his mouth. He turned his head and spit the remains, and his exhaustion forced him to just lie on Amy's arms, while his heart was hammering crazily from the experience.

"Take it easy, Sonic. Just breathe." She heard him say. And as fought to regain his breath, when he noticed there was something warm and comforting in his chest. He looked down and he realized it was Amy's soft hand over his heart. And of a sudden, his heartbeats were calm and relaxing. Amazed that her touch did this, he looked up to meet her green eyes.

_Wow, I can't believe how…nice this feels. I can't believe Amy is doing this._

_She did just…make my heart slow down? With her hand, her touch? But why?_

_Because this is different. This isn't clingy, this isn't needy. This is nice, warm and comforting. I can't believe how much her hand is soothing me…but why am I looking at Amy this way? And why is my heart…relieved by the fact that she's glad to see that I'm okay?_

Sonic watched as the sun began to sink towards the horizon, and even though he had been sitting there for quite some time, he still didn't want to run.

_Something's different. And it involves Amy. But what could it be?_

_It all started months ago, and it just kept growing. It all started with that hug…_

_Wait a minute…it was a hug from Amy, and it felt different as well. Not needy and crushing, but nice and comforting._

_But why? It's not like that I see her differently. And it's obviously not because I feel something different about her._

And then, his heart began beating faster, and his mind began to get cloudy, allowing his heart to take over.

_Wait…it's not because…I feel something different about her, right?_

His heart only hammered his chest with more strength. And then, another voice appeared inside his head. One that followed his heart.

_**It is because you feel different about her, Sonic. It's the only explanation.**_

_But that's impossible. I've known Amy for a long time, and I never felt anything for her._

_**Wrong. You do think differently about her. For months now.**_

_Months? Ever since she gave me that hug?_

_**The hug is merely a symbol. And the fact that her hug didn't feel oppressing, but rather soothing, it means that you already had a little something for her.**_

_But…why?_

_**You've known her for years, Sonic. And she's pretty, cute, cares about you…and she just wants to be with you. Did you really believe that after so much time with her, you wouldn't develop anything for her?**_

_**Your heart has begun to yearn to be bonded with her. After spending so many adventures with her, your heart wants to know what it's like to be close to her. And you're afraid of these new emotions.**_

_**That's why you run, Sonic. Running makes you believe that it's not true. Running, you try to escape, to leave it behind. But no matter how much you run, you can't leave your heart behind.**_

_**And because you're always running, you never listen to your heart.**_

_**This isn't going to go away. It's in your heart, and you must listen to it. Your heart has began to develop feelings for her, but you're always blocking them out, ignoring them, and trying to run away from them.**_

_**Would it hurt you to just spend some time with her? Can't you just give it a try? Just listen to your heart…**_

Sonic was amazed by how quickly time flew by. By the time he stopped listening to that inner voice, the sun had almost reached the horizon. And yet, he did not move. He was shocked. When he let that voice flood his mind not with reason, but with feelings, he never expected to realize that he was developing at the very least a soft spot for the pink hedgehog. For once, Sonic decided not to run. And he knew it was going to be a long night for him. Sooner or later, he figured, he would have to find out what to do with these new feelings.

It was still evening, with dark clouds approaching as the moon would soon appear somewhere in the sky, covered by the clouds. Amy had spent most of her afternoon chasing Sonic, but today was one of those days in which he was nowhere to be found. Exhausted from the searching and hoping, Amy let herself lie down in her bed, without even changing her clothes, and soon drifted to sleep, and her mind was quickly filled with yet another Sonic-related dream.

She was walking by the beach, holding Sonic's hand. Both of them were walking on the warm sand, shearing warmth and feelings by softly holding their hands. Many times had Amy dreamed of this. Just the two of them, alone, with a chance to be together.

The sun was setting on the horizon, full of colors. The sea was so peaceful, glittering little reflections of the sun at the couple, and yet all Amy wanted to look at was Sonic. He had a wide smile on his face, and Amy could only think that she was the reason for his happiness. Amy loved being able to hold his hand, but she wanted to be even closer to him, she wanted to be as happy as she could imagine.

"Sonic, I'm really glad that you're here."

"So am I, Amy. I'm sorry I've been running away from you for such a long time."

"It's okay. What matters is that you're here now."

"Amy, you know I really like you, right?"

"Of course I do, Sonic. And that's why I'm so happy."

After receiving a glance from Sonic that could only mean that he was very much enjoying the intimacy from her, Amy, stopped walking and looked deep in his eyes, with love pouring out of her green emeralds. Sonic turned to face her and looked back at her, and his eyes were glittering as well. Amy couldn't resist tightly hugging him, holding him close to her, it was like a dream to her.

"Sonic…I love you."

Everything went cold all of a sudden.

A cold breeze went by Amy, sending a chill up her spine. The warm sand beneath her feet was no longer: it was sharply cold. The sun no longer sent heat to her pink fur. But most of all, Amy felt Sonic's body losing all its heat all of a sudden, and it was now stiff. Amy looked up in surprise, and soon wished she didn't.

Sonic's eyes were now cold, harsh, and devoid of excitement. And now his face seemed to indicate…anger.

"Sonic?"

"Leave me alone!" He said, suddenly pushing her away and turning around.

"Sonic, what's gotten into you?"

"Let me go!" He said behind his back, and started running faster than ever.

"Wait, Sonic! Don't leave me alone!" Amy said, chasing him desperately, hoping that the once perfect moment would return.

"Leave me alone! Let me run!" Was all she could hear, as he ran faster and faster away from her with every beat of her broken heart.

"Sonic, don't leave me! I'll be all alone without you…" She said, pleading that her words would touch his heart, which was further and further away with every step she made.

Suddenly, Amy tripped and fell to the cold ground. As soon as her chest met the ground, she felt her heart inside of her breaking into a million pieces, and scattering all over the ground. She felt a cold void in her, which could not be mended or repaired. Amy felt cold, alone, and unloved by the one she wanted the most. And as her tears traveled her cheeks and muzzle, everything around her became a dark void, a colorless sky that was all around her, and left no place for happiness to claw its way through. She couldn't feel a heart beating inside of her, only the void. And then the void in her started to hurt. The pain was so great, that it forced Amy to cry more and more, and soon enough she wanted to scream so much…

Amy woke up screaming, sweating, and with tears all over her face and pillow. She was relieved that it was only a dream, but that relief only lasted a few seconds. For she was still alone, with no one to see her tears…and Sonic wasn't there dry them. To cheer her up, to make her feel better, to hold her and comfort her…

Amy realized that there was no chance that it would happen this night, for the sky was dark and the moon was hiding behind the dark clouds which finally arrived. She turned and faced a picture of him by her bedstand. She thought of him, and couldn't help to mutter her thoughts to herself, in the hope that they would bring relief to her aching heart.

_Sonic…I love you so much._

_You have no idea how much you mean to me._

_That dream showed me again just how much I need you._

_Without you, I can't go on. It's you who fuels my heart, who gives me something to look forward to every day. Seeing you, being with you is my greatest desire._

_If you only you were here. But I know that won't happen. Because you're probably running as always. But if you were here, then I could really show you my feelings._

_I wish you were here, Sonic…_

Sonic had been walking for many hours now, his heavy heart preventing him from using his legs to their full power. He had been walking all over town, with no destination in his mind, just letting his feet slowly set his direction. He was still in disbelief by the fact that he learned just some time ago that he harbored feelings for Amy. What troubled him most was the fact that he now had no idea what to do with those feelings. As the cold wind harshly hit his fur, and the clouds above him threatened to leave him soaking wet, he argued once again with himself.

_Okay, I have feelings for Amy. Now what? I just go up to her and let her know?_

_No, that's a stupid idea. Maybe I could hide them again and wait for them to go away, and everything will be back to the way it was._

_**That wouldn't work, Sonic. Hiding them will only hurt your heart. You can't run away from this.**_

_Oh, please. It seems as though simply running has shut me off from myself._

_**It has.**_

_How?_

_**Running away means leaving things behind. You've always been running, and that means that you leave all responsibilities behind, and you pretend not to care about anything. You lead an easy life because you're always on the run, but it's an empty life.**_

_But I have my friends, my battles with Eggman, and…_

_**But that's it. You have few roots, Sonic. The people around you and your duty is all you have. Running for so long has deprived you from having more. It's time to slow down, Sonic. Your heart asks for it.**_

Sonic had no arguments left against his heart. He realized that his heart was right. He had been running away from his troubles and from what he really wanted for so long. Having too much freedom had given a life without anything to cherish for enough time to really appreciate. He knew he had to take action. As soon as he had a chance, he'd let Amy know how he felt. He had to listen to his heart. And she deserved to know.

_Okay, I'm going to do it. As soon as possible, perhaps tomorrow, I'll let Amy know. I just have to wait for the right time._

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp scream which made his heart jump.

His first impulse was to look at where the scream had originated. To his utmost surprise, he found that he stopped his walk right in front of Amy's house. And surprise then turned to worry as he realized that the scream came from there. And only Amy could've screamed. No longer asking himself how he ended up there, he started thinking about what to do.

_Amy has just screamed, and I'm front of my house. What do I do?_

_Well, just standing here won't solve anything or find out anything. Maybe I ought to ask her if she's alright._

_But…alone, with Amy, in the middle of the night? And now that I know how I really feel, I don't know what I might say, what I'll do…and what will happen. I just don't know how to talk to her now. I never had a moment like this before._

_But Amy probably could use some help. And who knows, you just might like spending a few minutes with her…_

Sonic couldn't help but let out a small smile to himself. He was ready to embark upon a new kind of adventure…one with Amy. As he gathered his courage to face her, he slowly walked to the front door. Hesitating for a moment, he wondered if this was the right thing to do. When his heart hammered him inside his chest, he took it as a sign to move forward. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her door.

"Amy? Are you alright?" Upon receiving no answer, Sonic tried again, even though the cold wind was making his muscles hurt and the clouds above him were ready to turn into a waterfall above him.

"Amy, it's me, Sonic. Are you okay in there?" Still no answer came, but Sonic decided not to give up and waited there, hoping she would answer.

A few seconds later, he heard a sound inside the house, but one so faint it could not be discerned what it was. Then came the sound of soft footsteps approaching the door, which got louder and louder until they arrived at the other side of the door.

"Sonic?" Said Amy from the other side of the door. She could not, or rather, would not, believe her senses. Just a few moments sago she had just woken up from a nightmare, screaming, sweating, crying her eyes out, and wishing for him to be there, without really thinking that her wish would become true. But now, she hearing told her that the Sonic she wanted so much was standing on the other side of the door, and with the mere opening of a door, he'll be there. But she dared not to believe that. It couldn't be, she thought as tears still traveled her face. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Amy, it's me. Is everything okay?" She heard a worried Sonic say from the other side.

Amy slowly reached for the doorknob, almost as if that were just a part of a fantasy that could be shattered at any moment. It was too good to be true. Her ears were deceiving her and her eyes, watery as they might still be, would not spot a single hair a blue, a part of her believed. Gathering herself, she opened the door, and her dream was fulfilled, for Sonic was there, at her door.

Sonic's first reaction was surprise at seeing Amy's face full of tears, which had left their marks on her cheeks and muzzle.

"Whoa. What happened to you?"

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy could not contain herself any longer. She put her arms around her and clutched him tightly, as if releasing him just a bit might let him leave her where she was. Her eyes were still going, but she couldn't help but hold him close to her. He was there, and that was all that mattered.

"Amy…" Was all Sonic could say at first, from being so tightly held by her. His usual feelings would've been the need to escape her grip and to have his own space. But now there were other feelings traveling his veins and muscles.

_Amy's crying. And I'm the only one who can dry her tears. And you're the one person that can always cheer her up, make her feel better._

Sonic had to fight his light blush at realizing just how much he meant to the crying girl in his arms.

"Oh, don't cry, Amy" Sonic said, but surprised himself that he said that. It was as if there was something else inside of him letting him to say such kind words to Amy, that was so different from the treatment she gave her so many times. But with his heart now aware of what he really felt for her, he decided that it would be for the best to allow himself to be kind to her.

"Oh, Sonic, you have no idea…" Amy said between uncontrollable sobs, and had to stop to let more tears escape her, and she still didn't release the blue hedgehog.

"It's okay, Amy. It's okay." Sonic said, trying to reassure the girl. "Let's go inside first." And with this, Sonic dragged them inside, with Amy still refusing to let go of Sonic, and he closed the door. He noticed that his fur was still very cold, until he realized that the spot where Amy was holding him was warm, and he noticed that her fur was so soft…

"Sonic, you have no idea…what I just dreamt." Amy managed to say, her sobs already calmed down by his mere presence.

"Amy, did you have a nightmare?"

She responded by nodding her head and making a small, affirmative sound.

"Was it really that horrible?"

"Yes."

There was a slight pause. "Did it…include me?"

Amy suddenly released her grip on the hero and separated herself from him. She had him here, but now what? He had appeared in the middle on the night, against all odds, to calm her down. But Amy really never planned it to happen this way.

_Should I tell him? Should he know my dream, what I saw, what I felt?_

_He knows you want him, but what you don't know is just how much does he know. What if I tell him, and my dream becomes a reality…and I'll be never be the same again?_

_But he deserves to know. After all, I want him to know how much he means to me, and I want him to like me back as well. But it's his decision to decide whether he wants to be with me or not. It might destroy my chances if I admit that it depends on him as well._

_Then again, if I tell him and he eventually grows to like me…_

"Amy" Sonic said, and let that side of him that followed his feelings to put his hands on her shoulders. His comfort worked, as Amy looked into his eyes, and Sonic let her explore them. Her body was so warm and soft…he couldn't believe that he'd been running away from this. "You can tell me, alright? Whatever you saw, you can tell me. Okay?"

Amy nodded, and decided to take a seat in her light green couch. Sonic, already sensing that whatever she saw was something big, something that would bring her to tears, decided to follow suit and sat down on the other side of the couch. The couch, just as Amy predicted and wanted, was wide enough so that two hedgehogs could sit without being in each other's place, yet not so much so that she could always hold his hand, if the circumstances allowed her to do so. Right now, however, it was merely a resting place. Amy was too shocked to make a move of any kind; she just wanted to tell Sonic her feelings, knowing that he would listen.

Amy looked into his eyes one more time, paused for a moment, and then gathered herself to begin recalling the painful events.

"I was dreaming that…we were walking, hand in hand, together on a beach."

Amy looked at him, but all she could see was patient sympathy, begging her to continue.

"And, as we were holding hands, we were talking to each other, watching a beautiful sunset."

Sonic merely listened and processed what she was saying; he had already known that Amy would have these dreams. Never before did they matter to him. But now, he was very aware of the fact that Amy would dream every night of doing things with him. Because reality was never what she really wanted, she was forced to create fantasy to live her wishes.

_Poor Amy…every night, you dream of me…because when you're awake, I never spend time with you, just the two of us alone._

_For so long, I have pushed you away, simply because I don't know how to do this kind of things. I live every day, doing whatever I what, and rarely do you live the way you want, because you just want to spend it with me, but I'm always ignoring you, running away, avoiding you…_

_That's not fair. I've been selfish…until tonight. Yes, tonight, I'll tell her how I feel. She deserves to know. And telling her would make her so happy…I can't deny it. Seeing her happy makes me happy._

_**And now you know what love feels like.**_

Amy's sweet voice brought him back to reality. "Then we stopped, we hugged…you were so strong, yet so caring, and then…"

Amy paused, and Sonic knew that the turning point was to come. "Then, I said that I…I…" Amy paused. Could it be that telling him would be no different than her dream? Amy struggled to put the panic behind her, knowing that if she didn't try, she would never know. "I said that I loved you."

Something moved inside Sonic's heart. He knew that Amy had been saying and feeling that for so long, but never before had he cared as much for her as he did now. Now, her happiness and sadness she shared with him. Sonic knew that he didn't love her, but he did know that there was a corner of her heart only for her.

"And after saying that, everything went cold. The sand, the sun, the wind…and you. You were cold and hard, just like that, and I looked at you, and I saw anger, and rejection."

Fearing reality, Amy looked up at his face, thinking that she might see those same expressions. But his face only reflected sympathy, sadness, and it seemed to say that he cared for what happened to her.

"Then, you pushed me away, told me to let you go, you just wanted to run away and leave me…I tried following, but you were running so fast, that I could never reach you, no matter how hard I tried or how fast I run."

Those memories had already broken Amy to tears, but every word of those was a stab in the heart for Sonic. Seeing Amy suffer so much, simply because he ran away and left, what he did most of the time, was trying knots in his heart and making Sonic hate himself. He didn't know how much he could take of this.

"Then I fell to the cold ground, and when my chest hit the ground, it felt as though my heart has been broken into a million pieces and scattered beyond my reach. Everything went dark, cold, and it seemed to disappear into it transformed into a void, where I was all alone, with no happiness, with nobody to hold, nobody to make me feel better…" Amy stopped. If she went on any further, she would start crying again, and she tried to seem strong for him, but the experience was too much.

Amy felt nothing but the silence and cold around her.

_He's probably thinking of running, leaving me and my problems here, far away from me…_

Amy felt heat on her shoulders.

"Amy…"

Sonic had put his hands on them and was now in front of her. Curious and yet frightened of what might happen, she looked up to him, and saw a caring Sonic, a worried face, almost as if he were sorry of doing something to her.

"I would never, ever, do something like that to you, Amy"

Hope and joy emerged in the middle of her storm of misery and despair.

"Really? Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do, Amy." Sonic couldn't help but smile at seeing the girl's face lighten up, she seemed so sweet and cute to him. "You know that I care for you, Amy."

The girl Sonic had unexpectedly grown to like was beginning to come back, as sadness and tears seemed to leave her soul. And yet, Amy couldn't help but feel a bit of hope leaving her.

_But he doesn't like you, Amy. He cares for you as a friend, and that's it. He may save you, you may go and live these adventures with him, but he's not interested in you. You may love him, but he just doesn't feel anything for you._

And as if Sonic's soul had heard that, he remembered what he had intended to do. No longer questioning how he came to love her, or why he did it, or even if this was the right choice, he knew right then and there that he had to tell her how he really felt. She deserved it. And it would make her so happy, and Sonic couldn't think of anything better than that…

"I know you really do…love me, Amy. And that I've always pushed you away when you said that, or hugged me so closely and that I've always seem completely uninterested in you. But the truth is…I have something to tell you, Amy" How he loved to say her name. Saying it just brought her to his mind, and he couldn't deny it, she was a beautiful, sweet, caring girl.

And then, he looked deep into her eyes, and then did what she never expected.

He removed his hands from her shoulders, and with all the delicacy and care in the world, Sonic put his arms around her, slightly above her waist, and tenderly pushed her slowly towards him, until their bodies were actually touching, and both hedgehogs could feel the warmth of the other. Sonic felt Amy's heart accelerate to the fact that Sonic was hugging her so close to him, just like she always did, but now he was doing it, and willingly. Sonic was hugging her just the way she had longed to be hugged for so long. It was like a dream, except it was real.

"I don't know how, but a while ago, I discovered that I…I…"

_**Do it, Sonic. It'll make her so happy…**_

_But once you do it, there's no going back. You tell her how you feel, and you won't be able to stop what happens next._

_**But you know you want this. It feels right, and you'll give Amy what she always wanted. And you'll feel what you've never been able to feel, you'll feel a new kind of happiness, one that you'll never be able to experience alone, only with Amy.**_

"I discovered that I had some feelings for you, Amy"

For Amy, the universe stopped and time froze.

It was her dream to hear those words from Sonic. And it wasn't a dream. He was there, in flesh and blood. She knew because he was hugging her so closely that they could shear body heat on such a cold night. He said that he felt something for her. Amy's heart raced with joy and bliss.

_It can't be…Sonic said he has feelings for me._

_I've always dreamed of it, but I never thought it would really happen._

_Who knew that tonight would be the night Sonic finally came to me and say that? I can't help but think that my nightmare was what brought us together, almost as if it were decided by destiny._

_After feeling, if only for a few minutes, so much sadness, so much hopelessness, to feel that…void in me, this is a dream come true. I can't believe it. Tonight, more than any other night, I love him with all my heart._

Amy felt Sonic rocking her gently in his arms, for he knew that the girl was too stunned by his words. Amy had never been so happy, and not because of grand gestures, great gifts or incredible things, but because of those few but yet heart-felt words by Sonic. How much she wanted to be this close to him, and now this was the first step towards something that would eventually become so much more.

"Do you really mean that, Sonic?" She managed to voice. How Sonic loved her voice, it had such tones of sweetness, caring and…loving.

"I really do, Amy. Maybe not as much as you do, and I'm not yet ready to do everything you want to do…but there is a special place in my heart…just for you." Sonic was quietly surprised that he could say such things. It was like admitting his feelings opened a door inside of him, and let out a side of Sonic that had been bottled for so long. It was a Sonic that wasn't shy to speak his heart, someone that cared deeply about Amy, and that wanted to be close to her, make her happy and share her happiness.

"Sonic…I've never been so happy in my life." Amy said from the bottom of her heart. But for him, her heart had no bottom. She was now hugging him back, not crushing, not invading his space, but shearing the space, and hugging him closely, with true love and her heart beating with joy she never knew existed. It was one thing to love someone, another thing to have that someone tell you that they feel something for you as well.

"And so am I", he said, running his hands gently and soothing up and down her back, touching her perfect pink fur, feeling the warmth that she was giving, the warmth that Sonic's words and feelings were creating. It was really the happiest Sonic has ever been. And he was so with Amy.

_**And all you had to do was to listen to your heart…**_


End file.
